Northport may 4-lane Mitt Lary Road

Traffic moves along U.S.Highway 43 at the intersection of Mitt Lary Road in Northport on Thursday. Northport officials may add lanes to the road in an attempt to ease traffic congestion.

Dusty Compton | Tuscaloosa News

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

Published: Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 6:58 p.m.

NORTHPORT | The traffic on Mitt Lary Road often backs up, especially during rush hour in the mornings and in the late afternoon when school lets out.

But city leaders are hoping to change that and prepare for future growth in the area by possibly expanding the road to three or four lanes in the near future.

The City Council appointed the engineering firm Walker & Associates to do engineering work on the possible expansion of the road, to determine the cost and general design of the project.

There is no estimate on what it might cost to complete. While Northport would seek grant assistance, it is prepared to move forward and fully fund the project on its own if needed, City Administrator Scott Collins said.

“We know that the Mitt Lary Road corridor is our largest area of projected growth, and we are trying to be proactive to make sure that growth is successful,” Collins said. “Right now, the ideal (expansion) would be a minimum of three lanes, or four lanes if it was feasible.”

Widening Mitt Lary could prove difficult on the western end, where there are a large number of homes not far off the road, Collins said. The city wants to use as little private property as possible for the project, but the road has to be improved, said Councilman Steve Acker, who represents the area.

“I would personally love to see a four-lane, but we'll have to have the engineers look at it,” Acker said. “I don't know how much room we'll have, and our intent is not on taking anyone's home. That's not what it's about.”

But it's also important that the road is widened before further development occurs off Mitt Lary, especially on the eastern end near Alabama Highway 69, Acker said.

“We are trying to get ahead of the game, with a little forward thinking,” Acker added.

“For the residents in the area, it's an inconvenience. However, for our community and the city of Northport, we want to grow in that area and want to make that growth successful,” Collins said.

The 2-mile road that links Alabama Highway 69 to U.S. Highway 43 is now two lanes. In the morning, traffic is backed up from parents trying to get their children to Northport Elementary or to Tuscaloosa County High, and also from people who live in the area who are trying to get to work in Tuscaloosa, said Traci Ferguson, who lives in Huntington Gardens off Mitt Lary Road. Ferguson said it sometimes takes 20 minutes to drive less than two miles to take her daughter to school in the mornings.

“I think (widening Mitt Lary) is a good idea because that road is really congested,” Ferguson said. “I think it would also help decrease the wrecks. I know there was one there on Mitt Lary last week.”

Amber Capell lives in Huntington Place and also said it was a good idea.

“I used to use that road a lot, and the traffic in that area is very congested,” Capell said. “If I leave for work too early, I get stopped by the elementary buses, and if I leave too late, I get caught up in the traffic going to county high. That area is growing.”

But not all residents want the road to be expanded or for more homes and businesses to be brought to the area. While it would be nice to have a gas station or more retail close by, the area is nice because it's relatively quiet, said Tracy Reynolds, who lives in the Belle Meade subdivision near the corner of Alabama 69 and Mitt Lary.

“We like how quiet it is, and it's one reason we decided to move here, because it feels like you are living out in the country when you aren't,” Reynolds said.

It should take engineers about six months to draw up a general design and give an estimated construction cost to the city of Northport. The council will then decide whether or not to move forward with the project.

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